Mike Corthell

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

In Christ - Perfected and Spiritually PURE

(15) Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For
all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (17) And the world
is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides
forever. New
King James VersionChange Bible versions

John is not the only apostle who called upon the children of God to keep
themselves from being spiritually contaminated by the world. James urges us "to
keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). The apostle Paul makes a strong appeal in Romans 12:2, saying, "And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."This world is not God's world! Some have such a difficult time
grasping the practical ramifications of this concept, perhaps because we think
of God as Creator, Owner, and Ruler and marvel at the staggering beauty of what
He has made. In that sense it is His world.Nonetheless, the systems that operate our cultures are not His. The Greek
word translated "world" in I John 2:16 is kosmos, which has a moral connotation
and means "the world apart from God." William Barclay in his commentary on this
verse writes, "To John the world was nothing other than pagan society with its
false values and its false gods" (p. 56).The world's systems generate and sustain our government and politics,
entertainment, fashion, religion, business ethics, medicine and health care,
culinary tastes, social programs and institutions, education, science and
technology, economics, and use of power. The world's systems have formed much of
our belief systems and attitudes, and these in turn have shaped our conduct.These are the things we must overcome. And this world and its systems are so
appealing! But God says not to waste our love
on them because they have no future! In fact, this world is so bad that other
prophecies show the whole thing will be destroyed and replaced when God invokes
the restitution of all things (II Peter 3:10-11; Revelation 21:1).The basic reason all must be destroyed is because at its very foundation is a
destroying and antagonistic spirit, Satan
the Devil, the god of this world. Henry David Thoreau grasped an important
principle when he stated, "An institution is but the lengthened shadow of one
man." As Jesus phrases it, "A
corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit" (Matthew 7:18). Satan is a destroyer, and his way is at best
a bad mixture of good and evil. James confirms this when he asks this rhetorical
question, "Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same
opening?" (James 3:11). — John W. RitenbaughMike Corthell, Editor & Publisher